Chris Simcox (born 1961) is the American co-founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (MCDC) and the project's main spokesperson. He was formerly a kindergarten teacher at the Wildwood School in Los Angeles, California, where he taught for thirteen years.[1]
In October 2002, Simcox issued a public call to arms, inviting readers of his newspaper, the Tombstone Tumbleweed, to join a "Citizens Border Patrol Militia" whose function, Simcox said, would be to "shame the government into doing its job" of controlling the United States's border with Mexico.
He founded Civil Homeland Defense, a group which patrolled the border, and within the next two and a half years sought to assist the United States Border Patrol.
Simcox's practice of reporting illegal immigrants attempting to enter the country has been controversial, and questions concerning its legality have been raised. When the Civil Homeland Defense was first formed, Simcox's opponents claimed that it is illegal for a normal citizen who is in no way affiliated with law enforcement to detain people in the United States. Simcox claimed at that time that these detentions were justified under a "citizen's arrest" policy.[2] Since the inception of the MCDC, however, their "Standard Operating Procedure" (SOP) states that "Minutemen Observe, Report, Record, and Direct Border Patrol or other appropriate emergency or law enforcement agencies to suspected Illegal Aliens or Illegal Activities."[3]
In December 2004, Simcox teamed with James Gilchrist to organize the Minuteman Project, which brought nationwide attention to the southern border. While some have accused the Minuteman members of being vigilantes, supporters claim that there has never been a case of a member of The Minuteman Project physically harming anyone.
Simcox was interviewed for the 2005 independent documentary Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary. Simcox also appeared in a 2006 documentary by Joseph Matthew and Dan DeVivo called "Crossing Arizona," and a 2007 documentary by Chris Burgard called "Border". He has been featured as a guest on The Political Cesspool.[4]
On April 21, 2006, Simcox sent a message to President George W. Bush asking him to send National Guard troops to guard the border or the "Minutemen" would begin construction of a wall along the border, built on private property.
Simcox has stated he does not receive a salary from Minutemen, and earns income via honoraria and fees received for speaking engagements. He claims to have sold his life story for a film that will soon go into production.[5]
Simcox announced he was stepping down from MCDC to challenge in the 2010 Republican primary the renomination of U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona, the party's 2008 presidential nominee.[6] Former U.S. Congressman J. D. Hayworth officially launched his bid on February 15, 2010, in Phoenix. His announcement led Simcox to drop his campaign and endorse Hayworth, saying that he wanted to present a united conservative front.[7] On his campaign website Simcox announces that he steps down because "This race had quickly become bigger than what our family could manage" and "When JD Hayworth entered the race he was financially unable to continue. " [8]
On April 16, 2010, Simcox's wife was granted an order of protection after she alleged that Simcox "brandished a gun and threatened to shoot her, their children and any police officers who tried to protect them."[9] Bounty Hunter Stacey O'Connell forced Chris Simcox into being served the Order of Protection after pursuing him for 30 days. Chris Simcox arrived at a Maricopa County Courthouse to have himself served on July 6, 2010.
http://www.courtminutes.maricopa.gov/docs/Family%20Court/092010/m4377016.pdf On September 2, 2010 a judge in Maricopa County upheld the Order Of Protection against Chris Simcox barring him from contact with his family and from keeping firearms or ammunitions. The ruling was based on Simcoxs 2002 conviction of lying to the police regarding a firearm crime, and the court found it likely that domestic violence occurred over the course of the past year.